For those who are afraid to look, Ms. Morissette is clearly making fun on the song in a deadpan way. It's funny, but not four-minutes funny. And really, My Humps is pretty much a parody as-is. Right? They are joking, aren't they?posted by Bookhouse at 1:28 PM on April 2, 2007

Alanis has a sense of humor. Who knew?posted by dw at 1:29 PM on April 2, 2007

How could anyone not realize this is a parody? Alanis Morissette is cearly mocking both the song and her own singing style here. It's pretty funny, actually.

On a serious note, while I don't like this version you can find a multitude of covers under the title "Live Lounge" via your favorite means of procuring music. It appears to be a BBC show where they ask artists to sing songs in forms other than the song was produced in. Some favorites include:

There's a few other great ones, that show the talent of some of the artists covering them and the fact that when a song is stripped of its high production values (usually just an acoustic guitar) a lot of the pop songs just aren't that bad.

Though with "My Humps", I don't know if there's a way to save it.posted by geoff. at 1:33 PM on April 2, 2007 [3 favorites]

Alanis has a sense of humor.

Are you quite sure that it's her sense of humor on display here? The video is clearly tongue-in-cheek, but the audio track is so layered in earnest, you need a cake knife to cut through it all.posted by psmealey at 1:34 PM on April 2, 2007 [2 favorites]

If you take it as a criticism it's about as good as the shallow nature of the original permits, I think.posted by Richard Daly at 1:34 PM on April 2, 2007

I dunno, I think she's hella hot and that song sucks so profoundly that one can only improve it by remaking it, no matter what.posted by tristeza at 1:35 PM on April 2, 2007

Alanis doing Sarah M. doing Fergie doing a song about asses and $$$.

Time for Armageddon. As in NOW.posted by dbiedny at 1:36 PM on April 2, 2007

This is great (really, I enjoyed it), but you missed the "whitification" tag.posted by adamrice at 1:38 PM on April 2, 2007

Are you quite sure that it's her sense of humor on display here? The video is clearly tongue-in-cheek, but the audio track is so layered in earnest, you need a cake knife to cut through it all.

Give her the benefit of the doubt. Ain't no deadpan mockery like deadpan self-mockery, and she's got a brain in her head. Excruciatingly earnest pop isn't hard to fake, if you can keep from cracking up.posted by cortex at 1:40 PM on April 2, 2007 [6 favorites]

It went on a bit long but I'm glad I stuck with it. When she starts doing her Tammy Faye Bakker impression and talking about "no drama" & the guys in the car suddenly look perplexed... I thought that was pretty damn funny. I think it's pretty clear that she's doing deadpan mockery... especially when you get to the very end and everyone starts laughing.posted by miss lynnster at 1:45 PM on April 2, 2007 [2 favorites]

I give her props. It's one thing to parody somebody else's song; it's quite another to parody someone else's song and your own schtick.posted by dhartung at 1:45 PM on April 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

that was horrible. was this on Saturday Night Live or MadTV?posted by bhouston at 1:47 PM on April 2, 2007

I think it's pretty clear that she's doing deadpan mockery... especially when you get to the very end and everyone starts laughing.

Fair enough. I only got through about 90 seconds myself but had to turn if off when I felt a diabetic coma coming on. Still, though, that she's doing a deadpan parody of herself is probably an indication that she's living a little too far up her own ass.posted by psmealey at 1:51 PM on April 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

OK, awesome is the word. That was just awesome. She even does a booty-dance. I'll bet she's a lot of fun when she's not reminding you of the mess you made when you went away.posted by Mister_A at 1:51 PM on April 2, 2007 [3 favorites]

I've never liked Alanis, but this is funny.posted by brevator at 1:52 PM on April 2, 2007

I can't decide which I hate more. This tune, or Tori Amos's cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit.

It's a really tough call. Please hope me!

Only tough for the irony-deficient. What made that Tori Amos abomination so awful was how painfully earnest it was, like that noted cock-rocker and groupie banger Kurt Cobain was Target No. 1 for a feminist rewrite, and here came fearless redeemer Tori to make the world safe for sensitive girls again.

Whereas Alanis - as noted already - is clearly making fun of not just "My Humps" but her own sometimes over-earnest self. I'm no huge fan, but this is quite a bit of fun, and a clear indication of someone who does not take herself too seriously.

(Tori Amos, I'm sure, still thinks the only reason Greil Marcus hasn't yet penned a monograph on her glam-rock debut album Y Kant Tori Read is because he's a tool of the patriarchy.)posted by gompa at 1:53 PM on April 2, 2007 [5 favorites]

Let's not forget that her big break was a song about how she loves to suck dick in a movie theater. This is a fantastic parody. Do yourself a favor and watch the whole thing. A+++posted by ColdChef at 1:55 PM on April 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

This is great (really, I enjoyed it), but you missed the "whitification" tag.

That song was pretty fucking white even before. Sounded like Color Me Badd with some tits.posted by Lentrohamsanin at 1:56 PM on April 2, 2007

Let's not forget that her big break was a song about how she loves to suck dick in a movie theater.

That was her second big break, actually. That song was meant to break her away from the Debbie Gibson like image that had be created for her previously... to show how *bad* (gasp! oh my goodness!) she was.posted by Tommy Gnosis at 1:59 PM on April 2, 2007

This thread has some of the strangest music criticism I've ever read. Like you guys are all stuck in different places in time.posted by Firas at 1:59 PM on April 2, 2007 [6 favorites]

Only tough for the irony-deficient.

Sigh. Yeah, I guess. To me, music is music. It either succeeds or fails on its own merits, and I could give a good goddamn about its thematic context or whether it's intended as parody or not.posted by psmealey at 2:03 PM on April 2, 2007

I thought it was really funny but some of the youtube comment people thought it wasn't....

if there is any real justice in history, this will be the only remnant left of western civilization in 3,000 years and our descendants can drive themselves nuts trying to figure it outposted by pyramid termite at 2:08 PM on April 2, 2007 [20 favorites]

i thought it was funny, and it's clear she's making fun of herself and the song.

But also, it's a GOOD song.posted by empath at 2:10 PM on April 2, 2007

Put me in line with the people who like it.

A bunch of work went into this. Someone put up some serious cash to do a create parody. The dead-pan of the guys and the half hearted ass slapping while she booty dances are great mockery.

This is like me running around calling things 'hawt', Paris Hilton style... it is mockery of the most extreme, to co-opt it and drag something into your own world, taking away all of the original meaning.

I'd venture to say that it is right on the same level as the language manipulation we see in politics: how best to destroy something than to embrace, extend, and extinguish? It just so happens this destruction is funny to some.

I bet they came up with this some night, sitting around, smoking a big fat joint.posted by killThisKid at 2:10 PM on April 2, 2007

Personally, I thought it was funny as hell. Props.posted by Thorzdad at 2:18 PM on April 2, 2007

See, thing is... I have never really liked Alanis (her harmonica playing is physically painful for me to listen to) and I'm not a huge Fergie fan. But this did entertain me.

Ok, so I'll confess, the My Humps song actually bugs me on a kind of deep level, though. In part because it's crap. But also because the very first time I heard it I was overseas and a friend had taken me to the TGI Fridays in Cairo for a drink. Now first off, I don't go to TGI Fridays in America so I was horrified to imagine that maybe Egyptians see TGI Fridays as a highpoint of American culture or something. (Especially since they didn't even serve ONION BLOSSOMS! I mean, wtf?) But then that Humps song started playing super loud, and the video was projected on the wall of a sparsely occupied dancefloor. So I'm watching Fergie sing about her ass in a Muslim country where a lot of women on the street wear hijab. And it just felt... icky. I kept thinking, "Jesus Christ, no wonder there are people on this Earth who think we're infidels. This is shit." I was just kind of embarrassed that my country exports this kinda stuff as "our culture" to the rest of the world. No wonder people hate us.posted by miss lynnster at 2:19 PM on April 2, 2007 [28 favorites]

if there is any real justice in history, this will be the only remnant left of western civilization in 3,000 years and our descendants can drive themselves nuts trying to figure it outposted by Joey Michaels at 2:28 PM on April 2, 2007 [12 favorites]

this will be the only remnant left of western civilization in 3,000 years

pyramid termite, After viewing your link, I had exactly the same thought without having first read the rest of your post.

What will they think, explorers of a distant millenium, when they come across a dark and dead little planet whose artifacts reveal it was once infested with globs of pink goo draped on stone sticks?posted by CynicalKnight at 2:31 PM on April 2, 2007

Mark me down as another 'my humps' infectee.
Although, yes, Fergie is truly atrocious in general.posted by Firas at 2:37 PM on April 2, 2007

That was a great parody! And from a musical point of view, she really put a lot of effort into it. The "Spending all your money on me" part was beautifully done, she transposed it into major. And the piano sounds awesome...posted by alona at 2:39 PM on April 2, 2007

It's amazing how much this song is improved by a few judicious jabs to various people's nutsacks. i thought this video ruled, but I don't think I could watch it again. I'm simply not man enough.posted by the dief at 2:52 PM on April 2, 2007

That was an OK funny youtube video. But you know what's really funny?

Alanis Morrisette has been reduced to making youtube videos.

What's next, her own version of "dick in a box"? The Gem Sweater song?posted by fungible at 2:53 PM on April 2, 2007

Let's not forget that her big break was a song about how she loves to suck dick in a movie theater.

Personally I always remember that the same time MTV was garbling the line "go down on you in a theater" they were playing Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby got back" video in which he gets down on his hands and knees and mimes humping a giant rubber ass.

Not that it wasn't a better song, but that's a double standard I could live without.

Now I'm going to go listen to some episodes of Coverville to wash this out of my brain.posted by phearlez at 3:03 PM on April 2, 2007

And from a musical point of view, she really put a lot of effort into it. The "Spending all your money on me" part was beautifully done, she transposed it into major.

I don't know of anyone who has questioned her musical ability and passion. It's mostly her taste and artistic choices that have been suspect; a condition not remedied by this creation.posted by psmealey at 3:04 PM on April 2, 2007

Alanis (is/was/still is/always will be) just a vehicle for people like Glen Ballard, the Neptunes and Linda Perry.posted by frogan at 3:11 PM on April 2, 2007

That was brilliant, except I HAVE THAT FUCKING SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD NOW GEE THANKS.

Also:

(Tori Amos, I'm sure, still thinks the only reason Greil Marcus hasn't yet penned a monograph on her glam-rock debut album Y Kant Tori Read is because he's a tool of the patriarchy.)
posted by gompa at 4:53 PM on April 2 [+]
[!]

I seriously doubt that. She has said in interviews that she's not happy with what YKTR was.posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:25 PM on April 2, 2007

I find the whole "ironic cover" thing unutterably stupid- if you are a musician (non-comedy), why would you want to play a song you didn't think was good? The "OMG white guys doing gangsta rap" is a particularly stupid strain of this phenomenon. "Get it?? it's a rap song! and they're WHITE!!!?"

But I like this. Alanis has the good-humoredness to pull it off. She has always struck me as a genuinely humble and likable person. And she was really funny on "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Besides a few questionable lyrics here and there, there's really no musical basis for the hatred directed at her. Some people are just lightning rods for this kind of thing.posted by drjimmy11 at 3:27 PM on April 2, 2007

Alanis (is/was/still is/always will be) just a vehicle for people like Glen Ballard, the Neptunes and Linda Perry.

Congratulations, you know the names of some writers and producers. Was Elvis nothing but a vehicle for Sam Phillips and Leiber and Stoller and [insert obscure musical reference here]?posted by drjimmy11 at 3:29 PM on April 2, 2007

> Alanis has a sense of humor. Who knew?

When she covers My Ding A Ling we'll know for sure.posted by jfuller at 3:31 PM on April 2, 2007

Well, considering that the original is one of the stupidist, worst excuses for a song ever produced, anything is going to be better than that.

I thought this was really pretty great. And much better than the abomination which is the BEP's original version. Yuck!posted by MythMaker at 3:35 PM on April 2, 2007

I'm sorry, but THIS is the best cover of that song, um, ever.

Perhaps, even -evar-.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZGT8UT7HK1A

(It is possible that I may have a crush on Jon Heder. )posted by FritoKAL at 3:37 PM on April 2, 2007

...and gompa, did Tori kick your dog or something? Does she have to be a shrill 2nd-wave feminist to take an often-covered song and interpret it in her usual style to the pleasure of her fans?

Is there room for only one earnest female vocalist in your world? Doesn't a song like Teen Spirit or Humps just become text after a while, begging to be re-read into new works after its initial impact has faded?posted by abulafa at 3:37 PM on April 2, 2007 [4 favorites]

Well drjimmy I can't vouch for Elvis but everyone knows that Julie London was just a brainless puppet for Bobby Troup's master plan. At least that's what my dad says. Awww, that sweet ol' idiot dad o' mine...posted by miss lynnster at 3:39 PM on April 2, 2007

Was Elvis nothing but a vehicle for Sam Phillips and Leiber and Stoller and [insert obscure musical reference here]?

Also, as time goes by and terrible reactions to My Humps continue to stack up, I become increasingly convinced that it is a work of genius.posted by cortex at 3:55 PM on April 2, 2007 [3 favorites]

dammit! This robot version from my link above is too cool, but I just cannot listen to that song again. I can't.posted by ninjew at 3:57 PM on April 2, 2007

Seriously, learning about that Alanis cover might've been the best thing in this thread -- I honestly think it's awesome -- if it weren't for the American Greetings e-card link. That shit is *fantastic*... I wish Christmas were tomorrow so I could spend all night sending that card to people.posted by delfuego at 4:00 PM on April 2, 2007

Well, I actually enjoyed My Humps as a cultural artifact, and the insane overreaction to the song is like 2/3rds of the entertainment value.

Since the song itself is a parody, parodying it is more alanic then ironic.

Also, Alanis' singing is like nails on chalkboards to me sometimes. Sometimes I like it but some songs just sound bad to me, and this parody was one of them. I know some people like it, because all of Evanescence songs are like that, and they were popular. But GAH.posted by delmoi at 4:12 PM on April 2, 2007

the very first time I heard it I was overseas and a friend had taken me to the TGI Fridays in Cairo for a drink

Heh. The comedy troupe Axis of Evil was on NPR's Fresh Air today and they made a joke about that place. They called it TAI Friday's.posted by painquale at 4:16 PM on April 2, 2007

This is definitely the first and last time I will ever say this: That Alanis Morrisette song was pretty fucking good.posted by eyeballkid at 4:17 PM on April 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

I'm assuming that this is from some show in Canada. Because Canada is the only place that still remembers Alanis Morrissette beyond a grunt or a little cringe. If a Canadian act becomes popular in the US and Britain, they are allowed to release stuff in Canada until they die.

I was in Canada recently and I was shocked to see that barely remembered acts like Bryan Adams, The Pursuit of Happiness and the Barenaked Ladies release stuff in Canada and other Canadians buy it, apparently willingly. But there might have been some Canadian Content law forcing people to purchase it and being Canadian they're too nice to complain about it.posted by Mayor Curley at 4:21 PM on April 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

Really, it all goes back to KIDS Incorporated and You Can't Do That On Televisionposted by moss at 5:03 PM on April 2, 2007 [2 favorites]

It SHOULD be TAI Fridays! That's actually pretty good. :)

Seriously, that place was a TRIP... it's literally on some kind of paddle boat thing on the Nile. (Apparently some people call it an "Americana Boat"... shudder.) Anyhow as I said, the Cairo TGIF doesn't have onion blossoms, but it does have a shisha bar. And it's open 'til like 5am because many people in Egypt stay indoors during the hot summer days and then go outside during the wee hours.

Yes, it's true: I am queen of the derail!!! WOOOO HOOOO!!!! All hail the queen!!!!posted by miss lynnster at 5:11 PM on April 2, 2007

Also, Alanis' singing is like nails on chalkboards to me sometimes.

That's possibly a big reason for the opinion split. Her voice often gives me goosebumps, but in a good way - as did this cover (as well as a couple of belly laughs from the video). I was actually surprised how good a youtube video on my shitty speakers sounded. De gustibus non disputandum and wotnot.posted by Sparx at 5:12 PM on April 2, 2007

Anyway, this cover actually seems rather witty after that leaden stunt.posted by WPW at 5:19 PM on April 2, 2007

barely remembered acts like Bryan Adams, The Pursuit of Happiness and the Barenaked Ladies

Okay, well, I love TPOH to the ends of the earth and agree that they're nonetheless "barely remembered," but I'd hardly put your other two choices in the same category.

I mean, okay, maybe Crash Vegas or Glass Tiger or something, but... Bryan Adams and the Barenaked Ladies are still painfully omnipresent on commmercial FM radio that cater to their respective genres. Perhaps they aren't contemporary, but forgotten -- quite the opposite, unfortunately.posted by mykescipark at 5:20 PM on April 2, 2007

Wow - I'm very confused. Y'all are some of the smartest folks I know on the internet. That's why I'm surprised a few items of interest have not been noted:

- It may be Alanis singing, but I'm pretty sure that ain't Alanis in the video. She doesn't -uh- have quite the humps that this lady does. Nor the face.

- The production values of the video are well south of even a minor label release, much less an SNL sketch. Thus another clue that this isn't an Alanis music video. Rather it appears to be some youtubers who made a video and synched it to an Alanis(?) version of the song.

And finally:

- Covering a fast song by going slow is cheap. It's cheap when Tori does it, it's very cheap when Iron & Wine does it. The only person allowed to do this is Steve Allen, cause he started it, and he's dead.

...though there may be an excpetion for BF5's "Bitches ain't shit", the committte is still deliberating on that one.posted by django_z at 5:36 PM on April 2, 2007

You're funny, django_z. That is quite clearly her.posted by basicchannel at 5:47 PM on April 2, 2007

I have to pretty much call you nuts on points one and two, django. I don't exactly have her picture hanging over my bed, but if that wasn't Alanis I'll be goddamned; and if you can't see the difference in basic production competence between that and "some youtubers who made a video", you've spent entirely too little time at YouTube.

You're right about the slow cover thing to a degree, though. Not universally bad, but not always such a hot idea. At least annoying ska covers are over Really Fast, I guess.posted by cortex at 5:48 PM on April 2, 2007

I noticed that it didn't look like her but gave into GroupThink™ and figured she'd started looking real different and/or the makeup/haircut changed her look majorly. Like what do I know?posted by Firas at 5:50 PM on April 2, 2007

And she dated Dave Coulier, about whom "You Oughta Know" was once famously speculated to be written.

I'm no great fan of her music, but I think Alanis is a swell Canadian lady who's always shown a dry, self-deprecating sense of humour to the public. This video is 25% too long, but it's funny and well done.posted by chudmonkey at 5:54 PM on April 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

I finally figured out what was driving me nuts about that song treatment. It's basically Yes's "Changes" (main song part starts 2:20 in after the bullshit prog rock intro), off of 1983's 90125.posted by psmealey at 5:56 PM on April 2, 2007

That totally looks like Alanis. This is funny.posted by 23skidoo at 6:00 PM on April 2, 2007

Um, that's Alanis in the video. I've watched her perform two or three times, talked to her in person (for almost 4 minutes!) once and seen her doing all kinds of crap on MuchMusic for years. I'm certain. Check GIS and compare ears. I always liked Alanis' ears.posted by chudmonkey at 6:05 PM on April 2, 2007

No. No. NOOOOO.

This is all wrong. Just ALL wrong.

[watches video some more]

Oh. Wait. Wait a minute. Hmmm. Is is bad of me to want Alanis to take her top off? Am I missing some sort of point? I am aren't I.posted by tkchrist at 6:14 PM on April 2, 2007

Gah, I was about to post this up here.

Does anyone have any more links to crazy covers? My chosen mode of procuring music has nothing from Live Lounge and I don't know where else to search for this stuff.posted by divabat at 6:36 PM on April 2, 2007

Man. If I had the right skinny white girl I could sell cancer to Texans. Talk about a solid investment.posted by nixerman at 6:51 PM on April 2, 2007 [3 favorites]

@FritoKAL

I somehow managed to make it to 2007 and this movie premiere without ever hearing the lump song. I was in Europe. I guess it didn't have the same viral effect there.

Man. If I had the right skinny white girl I could sell cancer to Texans. Talk about a solid investment.

"Sun Records founder Sam Phillips ... was looking for 'a white man with a Negro sound and the Negro feel,' with whom he "could make a billion dollars," because he thought black blues and boogie-woogie music might become tremendously popular among white people if presented in the right way."posted by frogan at 7:07 PM on April 2, 2007

You know what would be cool? If Godspeed You! Black Emperor covered My Humps.posted by DenOfSizer at 7:20 PM on April 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

@lastobelus

I have managed to avoid it as well, thankfully. However, I felt required to see the film, as I have an entirely justified crush on Jon Heder (My fiance looks uncannily like him, with better hair.)posted by FritoKAL at 7:46 PM on April 2, 2007

I know I probably live in a sock drawer when it comes to TV these days, so I'll just say that I have now discovered French and Saunders due to G.S.'s link up there. So there goes the rest of my work day down the (You) tube, shesh... (and a new hernia I developed watching they do ABBA and Bergman... just gold). ;Pposted by Iosephus at 9:24 PM on April 2, 2007

Ha! Thanks, I really liked that. Seeing as I've never really cared to "listen" to the original before, that video actually made me aware of the actual lyrics to the songs ...which was weird.posted by the other side at 10:18 PM on April 2, 2007

To out-meta Saucy Intruder's contribution, here's a cover of the Wesley Willis song, Alanis Morrisette.posted by greasepig at 10:22 PM on April 2, 2007

Jesus christ, this thread goes on for days. What's wrong with you people?posted by JT at 10:34 PM on April 2, 2007

Despite (or perhaps because of) my love of the rock and the roll, I have managed to get through that whole "My Humps" THIS IS OUR PLATE OF BEANS BEAUTIFUL CULTURE seizure a while back without ever actually hearing the song. I will not break my record for Ms. Morrisette.

Yay for Alanis! What woman in the world would say anything like "my humps." Holy cats have I hated that song. Bite me Black Eyed Peas and furby. What the fuck ever. It is about time someone said shut your cake hole to those creepy idiots.

When those creeps hit the scene, oh I don't know, ten years ago a friend of of a friend was the bass player in their back up band. They came thru Seattle on this show with Public Enemy and Cyprus Hill and I got a back stage pass. Let me tell you, I am the whitest white girl from white town, so I felt a little weird. All the PE guys were so nice, not nice in the I want to fuck you way, but just nice. My friend introduced me to everyone. The only folks who did the rock star shtick were the Black Eyed Pee-on-everyone assholes. Everone else acted like it was cool and were actually very gallant. Come see this that and the other, ok now we have to do this other thing, glad you could come support your friend kind of people.

Again Yay Alanis, that song sucks donkey dicks. Sorry all of you to be such a hater, but man I hate that song.posted by Belle O'Cosity at 11:49 PM on April 2, 2007

OK, the moment she tears up the pillow, the video becomes awesome. You know it's true.posted by effugas at 12:00 AM on April 3, 2007

It can't be any worse than her cover of 'Crazy' by Seal. That was an abomination.posted by PenDevil at 12:56 AM on April 3, 2007

I managed to get through life recently without even knowing there was a song called "My Humps." Naturally, after seeing Alanis' cover, I had to hunt down the original so I could pretend I knew what was so damn funny, and what would instigate a MeFi thread with over 135 replies.

I still don't get it. You crazy kids these days. Get off my lawn!

Admittedly, Alanis Morrissette could be licking her armpits and coughing up hairballs while doing a cover of Dean Martin's "Standing On The Corner Watching The Girls Go By" while covered in ground up spam and chocolate syrup, and I'd be enthralled. Why? I'm an idiot. I make no apologies for it.

With that said, this thread has over 135 responses, and it's just a fucking YouTube video. We should hang our heads in shame.posted by ZachsMind at 1:00 AM on April 3, 2007 [2 favorites]

Metafilter: We should hang our heads in shame.posted by bcveen at 1:53 AM on April 3, 2007

I liked it... But after every verse of "What ya gonna do with all that junk, all that junk inside your trunk" I kept expecting her to break out with "You! You! You! Oughta know!"posted by amyms at 2:57 AM on April 3, 2007

She even does a booty-dance

Wouldn't that require an actual booty?posted by jonmc at 5:07 AM on April 3, 2007

It's amazing how she turned it into a song about Dave Coulier.posted by drezdn at 7:24 AM on April 3, 2007

"What made that Tori Amos abomination so awful was how painfully earnest it was, like that noted cock-rocker and groupie banger Kurt Cobain was Target No. 1 for a feminist rewrite, and here came fearless redeemer Tori to make the world safe for sensitive girls again."

· < — that is the point of amos's cover. b>\o/ <— That is you running around, saying "I can't find it!"

"Though with "My Humps", I don't know if there's a way to save it."

The way to save it is with the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harrasment.>posted by klangklangston at 7:57 AM on April 3, 2007

"What made that Tori Amos abomination so awful was how painfully earnest it was

A little trivia here, but Cobain himself admitted to actually liking it. It was like "breakfast cereal" as he said. Strangely enough, he himself never really liked the original all that much. He said it was a Pixies ripoff that he thought would never make the final release, much less become the break out single from the record.posted by psmealey at 8:03 AM on April 3, 2007

Alanis doing "My Humps": Isn't it ironic?
posted by LordSludge at 3:44 PM on April 2

Yes, I'll concede they make you toot. But it's a well established fact that they are in no way magical, and are more correctly classified as a legume.posted by Shadowkeeper at 9:08 AM on April 3, 2007 [4 favorites]

Funny, yet strangely sad at the same time!posted by The Deej at 9:28 AM on April 3, 2007

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: The existence of "My Humps" is single-handedly justified by this comment.posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:35 AM on April 3, 2007

I'd just like to take this opportunity to tell you all that I've never really heard the original - lest someone accuse me of pulling a "Are these Humps something you would need a radio/annoyingly ringtoned cell/ears to know about?", yes, I am aware of the song, but I've just never heard it, and frankly, I think that makes me a better person than the rest of you.

And just to bring this whole episode to a completely different level, there's a mashup of "My Humps" with Combichrist's "This Shit Will Fuck You Up" called "My Humps Will Fuck You Up".

I have a copy in my collection. I will not be sharing, since, well, it's so very, very special, I want you to just imagine how wonderful it sounds (and I don't have server space right now to host it).posted by daq at 9:38 AM on April 3, 2007

"She has said in interviews that she's not happy with what YKTR was."

I actually liked some of that album. Hey, it had Matt Sorum playing drums on it.

This Alanis video was rather amusing.posted by drstein at 10:46 AM on April 3, 2007

I've slept on this thought and find myself coming back to it. It's not a good feeling.

I once did a really bad cover of Alanis Morrissette's "Isn't It Ironic?" and broadcast it on my short-lived online radio show "ZachsMind's Experiment." I still have the mp3 somewhere, but don't know how to post it to the Web. Probably for the best. If you have the curiosity, send me an email. It's bad. It's really bad. However, I'm too close to it to tell if it's so bad that it's good in that good bad kinda way, y'know?

It's meant to be bad, by design. So that may be why this occurs to me now. Doing a cover of a bad song (or rather a song that in your opinion is of questionable style, tho others have found it very popular and enjoyable), and purposefully doing it badly. That is perhaps the greatest degree of snobbery.

Alanis doing "My Humps": Isn't it ironic?
posted by LordSludge at 3:44 PM on April 2

Dontcha think?
posted by Ynoxas at 10:22 AM on April 3

Actually it's not irony. Irony is the indirect presentation of a contradiction between an action or expression and the context in which it occurs. Morrissette is directly presenting this expression in the context of her style opposite the style of the original. She knows she's doing it. That's not irony. Arrogance, perhaps? Bad joke-telling? It's not ironic, but then she's never had a grasp on irony. Most of the examples in her song "ironic" are actually just mere coincidence.

The one time a guy gets on a plane, it crashes. That's not irony. That's bad luck.posted by ZachsMind at 12:43 PM on April 3, 2007

I still have the mp3 somewhere, but don't know how to post it to the Web.

Loved it! The only other song by Black Eyed Peas that ought to be covered more often is "Let's Get Retarded".posted by Down10 at 4:52 PM on April 3, 2007

"Actually it's not irony. Irony is the indirect presentation of a contradiction between an action or expression and the context in which it occurs."

When I hear this moronic pseudo-pedantry for the 1000th time, I will blow up the internet. Luckily for you, that's only roughly the 845th time I've heard it.posted by klangklangston at 6:59 PM on April 3, 2007 [1 favorite]

I'm sure someone of your googling stature can come up with the traditional back and forth on the topic. Hint— That's not the only thing that irony is, and some definitions of ironic do fit.
(And I'm leaving off the cop-out of meta-irony).posted by klangklangston at 8:18 PM on April 3, 2007

It's good to see Alanis Morrisette gracefully enter into the self-parody period, finally. It's about time. Now she can hang out with William Shatner and David Hasslehoff and stuff.posted by speicus at 8:36 PM on April 3, 2007

You talkin' to me, klang? I got no dog in this fight. Hell, I agree with you, sans the (mock?) apoplectic rage.posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 8:55 PM on April 3, 2007

The one time a guy gets on a plane, it crashes. That's not irony. That's bad luck.
posted by ZachsMind at 2:43 PM on April 3

Dontcha think? (sorry, I just like saying that.)

I'm not sure at this point if we've devolved into farce or not, but you actually quoted the only line in the song that actually is kind of ironic.

"Mr. Play-it-safe was afraid to fly... he waited his whole damn life to take that flight". Then, his first flight, and it goes down, after him avoiding flying his whole life out of fear... then, yeah, that is kinda ironic.

Most of the rest of it though, i agree... rain on your wedding day is just unfortunate.

However, I do agree that life has a funny way of sneakin' up on you when you think everything's okay.

And the U.S. isn't really a democracy. Jesus, the only thing more annoying than that song when it came out was that smug reaction. It's no longer 1997. You can let it go now.posted by justgary at 6:59 AM on April 4, 2007 [3 favorites]

Metafilter: Dontcha think?

I once had an argument -- in 1997, I think -- about that cursed song: My friend insisted that there were no cases of irony in the song, so the song was stupid. (actually, it does) I, having only heard the song in passing, countered that it's pretty damned ironic for a song about irony to, in fact, have no cases of irony in it -- so Alanis wins either way. He got pissed off and went off on a rant where the only definition of irony is tragic irony. I grabbed a tire iron, and that's where things get hazy...posted by LordSludge at 7:14 AM on April 4, 2007 [1 favorite]

Like Peeps posts at Easter, the discussion of what is/what isn't ironic about "Ironic"/ the idea that it's an eponymous song about irony that contains no actual examples of irony within it is in itself ironic...

... this is a dicussion we are doomed to have once a year until we are all dead, dead, dead.posted by psmealey at 6:30 PM on April 4, 2007

I still have the mp3 somewhere, but don't know how to post it to the Web.

"You talkin' to me, klang? I got no dog in this fight. Hell, I agree with you, sans the (mock?) apoplectic rage."

Yeah, it's just that it's like hearing about the McDonalds burn woman, or hearing that Courtney killed Kurt (or, worse, Kurdt), or that 9/11 was an inside job, where you think "Christ, hasn't anyone with two neurons to rub together already done this so many times that it's just no fun anymore?"posted by klangklangston at 7:36 PM on April 4, 2007

I know. I was just confused why you seemed to be yelling at me, when I didn't bring it up.posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 8:56 PM on April 4, 2007

Kind of a bullshit mainstream knockoff of something really indie and cool.posted by Flem Snopes at 6:09 PM on April 5, 2007

All good, but it kind of rips this off , doesn't it?

Yeah, that guy didn't rip off anyone else or I'm sure he's the first one to ever do that, etc.posted by delmoi at 11:56 AM on April 8, 2007

"Alanis Morisette" by Wesley Willis.

Wait, was that Alanis? Because if it was, she went up at least a couple of points on my Celebrity Humanity Rating scale.posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:15 PM on April 8, 2007

This is a spot-on parody. Kudos to Alanis.

And yeah, I never got the original. There's nothing sexy about the word 'lumps.' It makes me think of gravy, cancer, and bruises.posted by Afroblanco at 1:28 PM on April 8, 2007

HI I'M ON METAFILTER AND I COULD OVERTHINK A PLATE OF BEANS.

This is rather poorly written and actually almost carries with it a meaning which is the opposite of what the author is clearly intending. It is sort of like when someone says, "I could care less" when what they clearly mean is that they could not care less, ie, that they really don't care at all. If they could care less, then they are literally saying that they do care to some degree when they obviously are meaning to say that they do not care at all.

In the above cited reference, the author clearly is trying to say that people on Metafilter are putting too much thought into an analysis of Alanis Morissette singing the song, "My Humps."

Let's start with "a plate of beans." The author has chosen this phrase because the author feels that a plate of beans would be a topic that would not be worth much thought or analysis. Hence, any thinking about a plate of beans would be overthinking. But wouldn't that really be true of anyone? Is it not really something that is not specific to people on Metafilter? It is very easy to overthink a plate of beans as any thinking at all would do so. Therefore, to make the point about people at Metafilter overanalyzing things, the author should have chosen a subject matter that would ordinarily require some analysis. By taking a subject matter that is so important that it would be difficult to overanalyze, the author could have made the claim about people at Metafilter overanalyzing things by stating that they are overanalyzing something that would be difficult to overanalyze because the subject itself warrants analysis. A fine example of something that merits much analysis might be the causes of poverty in the world. If the above phrase was "Hi, I'm on Metafilter and I could overthink a the causes of poverty in the world," then the idea would be that people on Metafilter are so prone to overthinking that they could do so even when the topic calls for extensive analysis. A plate of beans -- being the opposite by requiring no thought and, hence, easy to overthink -- really does not demonstrate that people on Metafilter overanalyze things at all.

The next point would be the interesting use of all capital letter, an overly casual tone, and a lack of proper punctuation. All three of these techniques are typically used to mock the intellect of the writer. People like to use things like "OMG" and "!!!111!!eleven!!!" when they are trying to mock the intellect of posters. The capitalization, tone, and punctuation are all employing the same technique. But why? Is the poster mocking the intellect of the people who are overthinking Alanis Morissette? That doesn't make sense. It would seem that the poster is actually trying to argue that the people on Metafilter are being too intellectual about the subject matter. If that is the case, then why is the author so obvious about mocking their intellect? Could it be that the author is actually mocking himself? Is the author trying to mock his own intellect by employing devices that are associated with a lack of intelligence? Would that mean that the author is really mocking people who would accuse people on Metafilter of overthinking things?

The logical conclusions of the above cited comment seem to be contradictory in nature. One conclusion is that the author is mocking people at Metafilter for overanalyzing trivial matters. The other conclusion would be that the author is mocking people who would claim that people at Metafilter overanalyze trivial matters. Either way, I think that the conflicting uses of metaphor, writing styles, and punctuation usage render the comment to be one that is written poorly and may not be saying what the author is hoping it is saying.posted by flarbuse at 3:11 PM on April 8, 2007 [54 favorites]

Damn, you're right about the grammar thing. If the comment is impersonating a typical mefi overthinker, then why is it written in mock-stupid parlance? And why does it make its intended point regardless?

Maybe it's suggesting, in a postmodern way, that at some point overthinking becomes underthinking. Whoa!

I have to disagree with your quibbling about the plate of beans example though. The whole point is that most people won't overthink a plate of beans, but the typical Mefite would. Maybe the conditional verb is the issue here. Saying "I WOULD" overthink a plate of beans would address your concern.posted by Firas at 3:31 PM on April 8, 2007

Honestly, I think this is the least irritating thing Alanis Morissette has ever done.

"Ah, that's a solved problem. Man up."
posted by cortex at 2:46 PM on April 3

Uhm... Yah.. I haven't posted any of my stuff to music.metafilter.com because: (several paragraphs of cheesy excuses deleted) I'm not as good as Wesley Willis.

Listen if you're really curious, I don't have "Ironic" over there but there is some stuff that I did during my short stint in online radio strangeness that's still available thanks to YQM Dobbs bless'm, and mind you, you're not gonna get over half the attempts at humor unless you ever been to Kingdom of Loathing cuz there were a lot of inside jokes and crap. Actually, they still weren't funny even if you did get the cultural relevance. It's one reason why I ain't doing it anymore.

Listen to a few of those, and then you will probably understand in a better way than I can convey with words, why I respectfully have not sullied music.metafilter.com with my insipid, sad, pathetic attempts at attention.

"Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Now, now... Here's looking at you, kid."posted by ericb at 11:17 AM on April 9, 2007

flarbusewrites"This is rather poorly written and actually almost carries with it a meaning which is the opposite of what the author is clearly intending. It is sort of like when someone says, 'I could care less' when what they clearly mean is that they could not care less, ie, that they really don't care at all."

Actually, I've always thought "I could care less" works fine as long as the emphasis is on could, suggesting an unspoken, "but I don't know how."posted by brundlefly at 11:48 AM on April 9, 2007

<pethate>
Don't even get me started on "I could care less". It has always been "I couldn't care less" as far as I was concerned until idiots who misheard/misunderstood the original context bastardised it and ruined it for those of us with half a brain cell.
</pethate>posted by jon4009 at 3:58 PM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

I could care less about your feelings on that, jon4009.posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:45 AM on April 10, 2007

And just to bring this whole episode to a completely different level, there's a mashup of "My Humps" with Combichrist's "This Shit Will Fuck You Up" called "My Humps Will Fuck You Up".

I have a copy in my collection. I will not be sharing.

Oh come on, man! I need that, though I might need a copy of something with Funker Vogt vs. The Spice Girls more.

That said, Nine Inch Nails Closer vs. Ace of Bass All That She Wants is pretty amusing (and I've actually heard that).posted by ephemerae at 10:27 PM on April 10, 2007

Okay, that was hilarious. You hate Alanis, fine, she's always been a guilty pleasure for me, but fine, you hate her, you're better than her, you like music that aspires to something different, she's too serious, she can't sing, you know the definition of irony better than her, you know the definition of soul better than her, you care about the definition of every word ever used in song better than her, fine.

But if you don't think it's funny that the voice we all associate with a tad too much introspection slowly and carefully intoning like an Irish wake "What you gonna do with all that junk?" then your humour mechanism is dead, you're broken, get medication, take some time out, drop out, find yourself, lose yourself, take drugs, get clean, whatever it is you need to do.

Just please laugh a little, a little!

Also:

Uhm... Yah.. I haven't posted any of my stuff to music.metafilter.com because: (several paragraphs of cheesy excuses deleted) I'm not as good as Wesley Willis.

That's a terrible excuse because nobody is as good as WW. (RIP)posted by lumpenprole at 10:31 PM on April 16, 2007

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